


On the First Day and So On

by hutchabelle



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Canon Compliant, District 12 (Hunger Games), F/M, Geese, Holidays, Hunger Games Victor Katniss Everdeen, Hunger Games Victor Peeta Mellark, POV Peeta Mellark, Panem, Post-Canon, Post-Games (Hunger Games), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Post-War, Recovery, Singing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:27:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28457541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hutchabelle/pseuds/hutchabelle
Summary: Katniss gifts Peeta with a song on the second day of Christmas.
Relationships: Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16
Collections: Seasons of Everlark— Winter 2020-2021





	On the First Day and So On

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JHsgf82](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JHsgf82/gifts).



> Written for Seasons of Everlark, Winter 2020, Prompt: 12 Days of Christmas, Everlark style. (Bonus: adding Haymitch’s geese)
> 
> The twelve days of Christmas are considered the “Christmastide,” a period of time celebrating Christ’s nativity. The traditional twelve days of Christmas start on December 25 and end on January 5. The next day is epiphany in the Catholic Church. (Christmas is January 7 and Epiphany is January 19 in the Orthodox Church.) This story is canon compliant, so Katniss and Peeta are not celebrating the traditional meaning of the holidays. Instead, the song is a method of healing for both the victors.

Katniss walks into the room and directs me to sit on the couch. When I ask why, she smiles sweetly and says she’s going to give me another Christmas present.

“Christmas was yesterday, sweetheart. I thought we already exchanged presents,” I protest. She gave me beautiful gifts already. I don’t need anything else.

“There are twelve days of Christmas, Peeta. Besides, it’s a song. Just sit down and listen.”

I love her, so I do. Her song would be hysterical if it wasn’t so terrible. Either way, it’s uniquely hers and, by extension, distinctly ours. Her voice is gorgeous, as always. The lyrics are her way of healing and give me another series of paintings to create.

_On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,  
_ _A mockingjay in the Hanging Tree._

_On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,  
_ _Two tributes per district and a mockingjay in the Hanging Tree._

_On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,  
_ _Three Quarter Quells, two tributes per district, and a mockingjay in the Hanging Tree._

_On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,  
_ _Four gold team trinkets, three Quarter Quells, two tributes per district, and a mockingjay in the Hanging Tree._

_On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,  
_ _Five allies in the arena, four gold team trinkets, three Quarter Quells, two tributes per district, and a mockingjay in the Hanging Tree._

_On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love game to me,  
_ _Six geese chasing Haymitch, five allies in the arena, four gold team trinkets, three Quarter Quells, two tributes per district, and a mockingjay in the Hanging Tree._

_On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me,  
_ _Seven living victors, six geese chasing Haymitch, five allies in the arena, four gold team trinkets, three Quarter Quells, two tributes per district, and a mockingjay in the Hanging Tree._

_On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,  
_ _Eight training score for Peeta, seven living victors, six geese chasing Haymitch, five allies in the arena, four gold team trinkets, three Quarter Quells, two tributes per district, and a mockingjay in the Hanging Tree._

_On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,  
_ _Nine brand new weapons, eight training score for Peeta, seven living victors, six geese chasing Haymitch, five allies in the arena, four gold team trinkets, three Quarter Quells, two tributes per district, and a mockingjay in the Hanging Tree._

_On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,  
_ _Ten terrible propos, nine brand new weapons, eight training score for Peeta, seven living victors, six geese chasing Haymitch, five allies in the arena, four gold team trinkets, three Quarter Quells, two tributes per district, and a mockingjay in the Hanging Tree._

_On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,  
_ _Eleven visits to the forest, ten terrible propos, nine brand new weapons, eight training score for Peeta, seven living victors, six geese chasing Haymitch, five allies in the arena, four gold team trinkets, three Quarter Quells, two tributes per district, and a mockingjay in the Hanging Tree._

_On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,  
_ _Twelve struggling districts, eleven visits to the forest, ten terrible propos, nine brand new weapons, eight training score for Peeta, seven living victors, six geese chasing Haymitch, five allies in the arena, four gold team trinkets, three Quarter Quells, two tributes per district, and a mockingjay in the Hanging Tree._

The last notes hang in the air, and we stare at each other. I love her more today than I have at any point in my life. The hijacking, the war, two arenas. Nothing’s kept us apart. Nothing ever will. She is the mockingjay. We are the two tributes. We survived the third Quarter Quell. We are two of the four members of the team with gold trinkets. We are all twelve days, and we found the life of victors.


End file.
